Sidelined by Injury, Short pips and the Poly Ball

It's been a while since my last post.

Since that time I've played in one tournament where I took 3rd in my singles division and in doubles, my partner and I generally under performed when I know we can play better. All in all it was an okay day.

However my results in that event mean far less to me than what happened at the end of the day simply hitting with my partner. I went to pick up a ball, bent over and felt a painful twinge in my right knee. From that point on, I was done for the day.

This has been a reoccurring injury that has snuck up  on me over the last couple of years. Turns out, I have a small tear in my meniscus. Unfortunately, because blood supply doesn't get to this area of the knee, it never heals on its own and can only be fixed through surgery.

In the meantime, I've been able to walk and play (somewhat) at table tennis club. Because at this time I cannot play a, stand off off the table looping/athletic game, I've been hitting with my short pips camping close to the table doing the best I can. It's an easier style to play when your mobility is limited.

I'm actually finding the hitting with short pips really enjoyable. Just like any rubber, there are pluses and minuses. Can I spin & loop like inverted? Of course not. But can I smash any ball that's a pinch to high with deadly speed? Absolutely! And it's fantastic. I've been playing with RITC 802 in 2.0 sponge (35 degrees). Your classic short pip rubber.

I think my friend Thomas, who plays a short pip hardbat game, describes pips best when he said "What they allow you to do is have a wider arrange of gears." I tend to agree. Can I reach the high levels of spin & speed as inverted players can? Not quite. But I can play short, soft, touch shots much, much easier. Dropping a ball just over the net making your opponent rush in to try to get that ball is a satisfactory experience. Furthermore, the control you get with short pips is great. My directional blocking as never been better.

I don't have a date scheduled just yet for my surgery but that time should be coming soon. When I do get back, I think I will stick with the short pip game for a little while to see how it develops. I have a theory with the new poly ball just around the corner which is rumored to be slightly less spiny, a tad higher bouncing and promoting a longer rally style, that short pips will make a bit of a comeback. I'm excited about that possibility as duel inverted, spin game dominates table tennis today. Don't get me wrong, that style still will after the poly ball is here. But a little more variety in the game I think is healthy for the sport.

If you're interested, from what I've seen so far, it looks like megaspin.net will be the first US supplier to offer the poly ball being Joola's version. Orders ship July 15th.

Click here to check it out.